A Way to Change Reporters' Work

At the time when technology is being developed in the digital period, media outlets and their parishioners also need to develop their way of work so that they can catch up the latest programmes and the consumers. The digital century really forces journalists to be flexible in providing their spiritual products to audience.

While youth are ignoring reading newspapers, the number of young people who do not read also increase. They of course don’t spend their free time to read while podcast, iPod, TV, music, and internet, including email and e-chatting, are invading their private times. With the high-tech, people can download text, images, audio, and video from their PCs and cell phones at home, office, and the fields where the line service is available.

The evolution of technology is running high. So the way of news providing also need to be changed to catch up the evolution and adapt to the audience’ needs. First, only newspapers, and then radio and TVs. After satellite TVs provide many channels to viewers, internet, email and SMS (Short Message Service) through mobile phone become more popular.

Now the digital period is arriving and in such situation, traditional media outlets and practitioners have to change their traditional way of work. They need to change their mean to provide news to the public otherwise they cannot attract their audiences. I really agree with what Dr. Dietmar Schantin, director of Infra’s Newsplex, who talked to Journalism.co.uk about the philosophy behind convergence and his revolutionary ideas to change the editorial process that “It’s important for newspapers to embrace these new technologies. They have great editorial departments with highly skilled journalists, their content is of high quality. So why not trying to reach the audience via other channels, there is no reason why not.”

In short, technology has absolutely changed and will continue to change reporters' work in both technical and habitual ways. If not, they will lose their audience in the digital world.

The Potential of Blogs and Moblogs to Change the Way That Reporters Work

In the digital reign, both bogs (web logs) and moblogs (mobile web logs) are spreading around the globe and they really change the work of reporters. While people can view news text, photos, video pictures, MP3, downloading webpages, and checking emails on 3G cellular telephone screen and other mobile devices, news makers in the new age need to learn how to use and post text, image, video, and sound through the electronic materials. Deadline’s very important for journalists. With cellphones, they are now unnecessary to go to their offices to file stories and post pictures like the old-media style but they can do from the field where they work. They seem to bring their newsrooms with them to everywhere. Through her/his blogs and mobogs, a reporter can do multi-functions. S/he can write and edit news stories, take photos and video footages, and post them on her/his own blog and moblog.

From day to day, technology is updated too fast. From traditional print media, the world jump up to radio, TV, and then internet with non-stopped developed digital items. Reporters, therefore, must develop and improve their multi-skills – a combination of text, image, sound, and interactivity -- so that they are able to catch up the digital style and its players. I really agree with what the authors said in Convergent Journalism, P. 75 that “The world of convergence is a world of creative opportunities. Those opportunities are most open to people who have more than one skills and work across styles. Journalists who are not afraid to break the mold on style, while adhering to the rules on substance and ethics, will then be the ones who will create a new form of storytelling”.

However, what reporters need to do is to earn their blogs and moblogs viewers’ trust. END

Professional Blogging Can Worry Dictatorial Leadership

Blogs are now very popular among people living in nations where freedom of expression and free press exist and where governments respect human rights and respect public opinion.

Blogs can of course reveal a story so that news hunters can check and update stories in accordance with their respective interests. Though many blogs have so much information and the images posted sometimes can be faked or illegal, they can be the hints for the viewers. I agree that some information in blogs is unclear and untrue but it at least paves the way for the real news seekers to follow up and verify for their audiences.

Because of free flow of information on the facts from anonymous sources, some countries try to block blogs. Citing ineffective and unacceptable violation of privacy and defaming governments and leaders, dictatorial, military-ruled, and one state-party nations and their authorities try to set up cyber police to control all internet users and tracking down bloggers. Such governments really do not want their bad things to outreach to the public otherwise their reputation can be pained and their power can be weak through the citizens’ protests. As the result, many bloggers have been thrown into jails due to their reveal the fact of negative activities of their governments and leaders on the blogs.
Undeniably, terrorists, racketeers or pedophile can use blogs to commit crimes but with this regard, it is good for the blogs that provide technical ways to get round censorship and security for both creators and users.

On the other hand, while the world is gaining more citizen journalists, community blogs can help alert citizens so that they can be ready for either supports or challenges for their common interests. Communities can also share information to their members at the grassroots through the citizen journalists’ blog posting. At the same time, bloggers have to be more careful with their posting. They should follow the 5Ws and H rule so that their posting can be more reliable. END